May 17, 2004

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - For the first time this season, UNLV baseball swept the Mountain West Conference's weekly awards, as junior right fielder Eric Nielsen was named Player of the Week and senior right-hander David Seccombe picked up the Pitcher of the Week award. This is the second MWC award for Nielsen this season, while Seccombe's is his third of the year.

Nielsen, from Las Vegas, Nev. (Silverado HS) helped the Rebels maintain their Nielsen, from Las Vegas, Nev. (Silverado HS), helped the Rebels maintain their conference lead by taking three-of-four games from Utah last week. He belted five home runs and knocked in 15 runs, while batting .529 for the series. In game one vs. the Utes, Nielsen hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to break open a 3-1 game and help the Rebels to an 8-6 victory. In a game two win, he was 4-for-6 from the plate with a double, two home runs and five RBI. After going 2-for-4 in a game three loss, Nielsen closed out the series with a pair of three-run home runs and six RBI, including a 2-for-4 performance from the plate, to seal the win.

The captain of the Rebel club, Nielsen has started in right field in all fifty-two games this season, and currently leads the conference in hits (87), runs scored (69), runs batted in (76), homeruns (14), total bases (156) and batting average (.405).

Seccombe, also a Las Vegas product (Cimmaron Memorial HS), posted his eighth win of the year vs. Utah last week. He allowed one earned run and four hits in seven innings, while striking out six and failing to yield an extra-base hit. Seccombe, who is tied for third in the league with 46 strikeouts (MWC games) this season, held the Utes to a .160 batting average in the contest.